Fireflies
by Articallie
Summary: Normally Lucy would never consider a date with Hibiki, but with a hangover clouding her mind, she agrees to go on one. Maybe, just maybe it will turn out to be something special.


**I did a poll ages ago to help me figure out which pairings I should do for some oneshots. Thank you to everyone who voted!**

**Hibiki x Lucy came in second place.**

**This is called: Fireflies. **

* * *

It was a warm summer day in Magnolia. The birds were chirping and the sun shone brightly down with only a few puffy clouds here and there. The Magnolia University was about to start the first lectures for the day, and students bustled around the campus, going to the million and one places that students feel the need to go to.

In one of the many campus dorm rooms, a blonde girl stirred from her sleep. Her head throbbed with the after effects of the alcohol she had consumed the night before. She cursed softly as the sunlight pierced her eyes, and she rolled over again, burying her face in her pillow. A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts about how she was 'never going to drink again'. She looked to the other bed in the room hoping that her roommate would answer the door, only to realise that her roommate would already be at their first lecture.

"I'll be there in a minute." The girl yelled into her pillow. She struggled out of bed, and hunted around for a shirt and some pants to put on so that she would look at least a little presentable. After struggling into a peach pair of shorts and a lime green chemise, she stumbled to the door and opened it.

"Hello Lu-" Lucy cut him off as she stared impassively at the male before her. He was in one of those weird poses again and she didn't want anything to do with it. Just because he was her childhood friend didn't mean she wanted to put up with his weird poses and flirting.

"Goodbye," She said and shut the door in his face before walking back to her bed, she needed more sleep.

"Lucy! Don't ignore me!" He pleaded as he knocked on the door. Her eye twitched ad she buried her face into her pillow, she really didn't want to deal with this right now, or ever.

"Lucy, please go on a date with me!" He yelled for the fifteenth time that morning. Lucy rubbed her temples and tried to restrain herself from unleashing her 'Lucy Kick' on him.

"FINE!" Lucy yelled, not even bothering to get up and open the door to talk with him face to face. "I will go on _one_ date with you. And you better make it a good one, Hibiki Lates, because it's the only one you're ever going to get."

"Yes!" Hibiki shouted, and Lucy could tell that he had just fist-pumped.

"Don't make me change my mind." Lucy warned him and he instantly settled down, and then knocked on her door again. God that knocking was making her hangover worse. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone?

"Can we at least talk face to face about the arrangements for the date?" Hibiki pleaded with her.

"If I open the door and talk to you, do you promise to stop annoying me and go away?"

"Yes, I promise." Lucy begrudgingly got up again and walked to the door to open it again. She then leant on the doorframe, with her arms folded across her chest, refusing him access to her room.

"This Friday, pick me up at 6pm, we're going on a picnic, you're bringing the food." With that Lucy shut the door in his face again, a muffled 'okay' was heard from the other side of the door. She then stalked over to her bed and put in her headphones, before lying down, and playing one of her Ministry of Sounds CDs.

* * *

The week passed quickly, with classes seeming to fly pass. Lucy was part way through her biology assignment on Chemotrophs when a knock sounded on her door. She looked up from her laptop, agitated that somebody had disturbed the flow of her writing, when her eyes caught sight of the clock. It was 6pm. The importance of the time didn't register with Lucy as she got up to open the door, thinking that her roommate had forgotten her key again. It was only once she had opened it to find Hibiki standing there with a basket that the significance of the time made itself clear.

"Shit! Sorry Hibiki, I didn't realise the time, I'll be five minutes."

"It's fine." Hibiki replied as Lucy shut the door, leaving Hibiki in the corridor as she hurriedly changed out of her pyjamas and into a pair of jeans and a tank top. She quickly brushed through her hair and left it hanging loose about her shoulders before remembering that she needed to save her assignment. A few clicks later and Lucy's laptop was shutting down, she left it on her desk as she stuffed her phone and wallet into her pockets. Lucy re-opened the door as she slid on a pair of flats.

"Where are we headed?" Lucy asked curiously as she locked her door behind her. Hibiki just smirked.

"Oh, you know, around." He said vaguely as he continued to talk towards the exit. Lucy shrugged and followed him. She trusted him, maybe not with her life, but she really did trust him. He was one of her best friends and occasionally they would flirt a little but Lucy knew he was a womanizer so she never payed much attention to it.

They walked for almost half an hour. By now, they had passed out of the campus and into the surrounding woods. Hibiki held a small lantern with a candle inside to light the way, as it had gotten quite dark as they walked along a small track. Lucy was a little wary, she knew those movies. The happy couple would venture into the forest, and BAM, they got killed. She really hoped that wasn't going to happen to them.

"How much further?" Lucy asked, trying not to let her nervousness be heard.

"Not much." Hibiki replied, and Lucy could see a warm glow filtering through the trees getting stronger as they walked towards it. Lucy puzzled over the glow. It seemed like there were a multitude of things glowing. Hibiki then pushed aside a low hanging branch to allow Lucy into the clearing. In the centre of the clearing sat a small fire, which was giving off the main warm glow. Scattered around at the edge of the clearing were cylindrical mesh tubes containing fireflies.

Lucy stared in awe at the lights from the fireflies flickering on and off. Her voice caught in her throat, and she couldn't fund the right words to describe the place. The whole clearing looked like it had been taken straight out of a fairy tale, and been hidden away in the woods, like a small sanctuary. Hibiki led Lucy over to a log near the fire and motioned for her to sit. He placed the basket on the ground in front of them and then sat down himself. Lucy continued to drink in the details of the scenery around her as Hibiki unpacked the food.

The fire was in a small stone ringed pit, and scattered around it were more logs like the one they were sitting on. On the far side of the clearing stood a massive oak tree, its branches would give shade to almost half of the clearing during the day time. Lucy noticed that some of the mesh tubes containing the fireflies were hung in branches, where as others rested on the ground.

"This place is so beautiful." Lucy whispered, finally finding her voice again.

"Isn't it just?" Hibiki smiled softly, watching as the firelight played across her face. Lucy's tummy made a rumbling sound and she looked at the ground, embarrassed. "Hungry?"

"Yeah," she replied a blush on her face. Hibiki handed her a plate piled with chicken and pasta, then picked up his own.

"This is really good!" Lucy exclaimed as she stuffed another forkful of pasta into her mouth. "Did you make this?"

"Mum taught me when I was younger."

"I miss your mum." Lucy said sadly, staring at her plate of pasta. Their mothers had been best friends, just like they were, but they were both gone now. Hibiki put his plate down, and wrapped an arm over her shoulders.

"Me too," his voice was tight with tears that he refused to let fall. Lucy put her own plate down and then buried her face into Hibiki's shoulder. They sat like that for a while, immersed in all their memories of childhood days. When life was simple, and they could always depend on their mothers to care for them.

"Come on! This is a date! We can't sit around moping the whole time." Hibiki said, his tone lighter.

"Yeah," Lucy replied as she looked up at him, a small smile on her face.

"Here," Hibiki handed Lucy a box. She looked at it curiously before opening it to reveal a set of carved wooden chess pieces.

"We're going to play chess?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah, bet you can't beat me!"

"Hibiki Lates, I could beat you any day of the week blindfolded." Lucy smirked at him as she began setting up the pieces on the board Hibiki had brought out.

"Alright then, if I win, you have to go on another date with me," Hibiki declared.

"And if I win, you have to make me lunch for a week," Lucy said, she absolutely adored Hibiki's cooking.

"Deal." Hibiki and Lucy shook hands over the chess board. Lucy went first, moving her pawn to e4. Hibiki smirked and moved one of his own pawns to e5. Lucy moved her queen to h5, and Hibiki's smirk grew.

"You can't use the scholar's mate trap on me," Hibiki said moving a pawn to g6. Lucy smirked right back at him.

"Who said I was going to?" Lucy asked moving her knight to f3.

The pair continued to banter and smirk at each other as they captured each other's pieces. Lucy smirked widely when Hibiki took one of her knights, and was about to make her next move and call checkmate, when she noticed a bishop that had slipped under her radar. If she made her next move then it would be free to checkmate her own king. They were at an impasse. There were no legal moved that Lucy could make.

"Stalemate," Hibiki declared. Lucy sighed; she had been so sure she would win this time, at least she hadn't downright lost.

"Damn, oh well, at least I still get the lunches." That was the only good thing she could see about the stalemate.

"Don't forget you owe me another date," Hibiki smirked.

"How about another bet?"

"Sorry Lucy, you're stuck with me for another date." Hibiki smirked and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry Lucy, I'll make it another good one!"

"Oh? And what makes you think I enjoyed this one?" Lucy said in mock distaste. Hibiki gave her a genuine smile and began to pack up their empty plates.

"You'll see why in a few minutes," he said as he continued packing things up. Once everything was packed away, Hibiki pulled out the small lantern again. He struck a match and re-lit the candle inside before closing the casing around it and putting it on the ground.

"Are you ready Lucy?" Lucy nodded her head, not really sure what for. Hibiki knelt down and put out the fire, covering it over with sand. The pair now only had the small lantern on the ground for light. "Here Lucy, hold this," Hibiki pressed a piece of string into her hand and she had no idea what it was for.

"Um, what am I doing with it?" Lucy asked nervously.

"Hang on a sec," Hibiki rummaged around for a moment before standing up. "Alright Lucy, pass it back." Lucy handed him the piece of string. "And, three, two, one!" Hibiki tugged on the two strings in his hands and the tubes containing the fireflies burst open. The tiny creatures spiralled up out of their temporary cages. Their glowing lights swirled and flickered as they flew up and around.

"Whoa!" Lucy stared in amazement as the fireflies danced around the clearing before dissipating towards the rest of the forest. "It's so beautiful."

"Yeah," Hibiki said, but Lucy had a feeling he wasn't referring to the fireflies. Lucy couldn't believe he had remembered. She had always said that fireflies were her favourite because they reminded her of the stars. And had once confided in him that if a guy was serious about winning her affections, she wanted him to take her on a date with fireflies. A few moments of staring up at the sky later and the spell was broken.

"Come on Lucy, let's go back." Hibiki offered her his hand and for once Lucy took it. She looked up at him with a small smile as he led her from the forest and towards her dorm room.

"Thanks for tonight Hibiki," Lucy said with a smile as she unlocked her door.

"No worries Lucy, we can organize our next date some other time," Hibiki stifled a yawn. It was almost 1 am, and the pair hadn't realised how quickly time had passed. "Goodnight Lucy."

"Night Hibiki," Lucy smiled and Hibiki went to turn away when Lucy quickly stepped towards him and pressed a kiss to his lips. Hibiki stood frozen for a moment before responding and pulling her closer. Lucy had intended for it to be a quick chastise kiss, instead she found her tongue was eagerly exploring Hibiki's mouth. The pair broke apart and Lucy blushed deeply.

"Uh, n-night Hibiki," Lucy disappeared inside her room, hurriedly closing the door behind her.

"Night Lucy," Hibiki said in a breathless voice.

Lucy wasn't sure what her feelings towards Hibiki were. But she did know one thing: If she had known that Hibiki would give her a date with fireflies, she would have gone on one a lot sooner.

* * *

**AN: Sorry it took so long to post! (I keep getting distracted by the nine books I am currently reading)**

**I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Love you guys!~ xoxo**


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